ITIN Users Should Prepare for Revalidation Process

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At the end of last year, Congress enacted legislation that requires some immigrants filing their taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to revalidate. NCLR has made resources available to the community that includes the deadlines for ITIN filers to renew:

ITIN Revalidation Deadlines

While taxpayers with ITINs issued before 2008 will have to revalidate in the next year (by January 1, 2017), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has not shared details on that process and questions remain. For example:

  • Will immigrants who revalidate keep their same ITIN or receive a new number?
  • Will revalidation follow the same process as applying for a new ITIN or will there be a streamlined application?
  • Do immigrants revalidating their ITIN have to do so at the same time as filing a tax return or can it be filed separately to the IRS?

As we await answers to these questions and more, the IRS has stated publicly that taxpayers with ITINs that need to be revalidated should not do so with this year’s tax return. More information will be available in the coming weeks about how and when ITIN holders facing deadlines beginning on January 1, 2017 should proceed.

Until then, tax preparers should use this tax season to inform affected clients that they will need to prepare documents to revalidate shortly, but emphasize that a process is not yet in place.

Visit the nclr.org for additional resources.

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